Electrically coupled downhole equipment rely on a cable or cables for delivery of electricity, for example, to power the equipment, to control the equipment, to receive signals from the equipment, etc. Downhole environments may be harsh, for example, physically (e.g., consider temperature and pressure) and chemically (e.g., consider chemical corrosion). Examples of downhole equipment include downhole heaters and downhole pumps. As an example, a downhole heater may be installed at a bottom of a well to increase the temperature of fluid coming from the reservoir (e.g., to reduce fluid viscosity). As another example, a downhole heater may be installed as a heater treater, for example, to assist with elimination of paraffin deposits, hydrate plugs, etc. As an example, a downhole pump may be an electric submersible pump (ESP) to achieve artificial lift of fluid.
To receive power to heat or to pump, a downhole heater or pump is connected to a cable or cables. In some instances, the length of such a cable or cables may be of the order of several kilometers. A cable may also include one or more lead extensions spliced onto the cable. For example, where the cable includes three conductor cores for powering a pump motor, a motor lead extension (MLE) may be spliced onto each of the conductor cores.
As an example, one or more packers may be installed downhole, for example, uphole from a location of downhole equipment such that a cable or cables passes or pass through the packer. As an example, a completion may include a packer that isolates an annulus from a production conduit (e.g., to enable controlled production, injection, treatment, etc.) where a heater or a pump is installed downhole from the packer. Such a packer may include features to secure the packer against a casing, liner wall, etc. (e.g., consider a slip arrangement), features to create a fluid seal to isolate the annulus (e.g., consider an expandable elastomeric element or other arrangement) and features to create a fluid seal for each cable that may pass through the packer.
Various technologies, techniques, etc., described herein pertain to cables and coupling mechanisms, for example, to power one or more pieces of equipment that may be positioned in a borehole, a well, or other environment.